The Only 127 Things You Need: A Guide to Life's Essentials--According to the Experts

This is a perky little book with a mighty goal: to instruct readers on the essential elements of a good life. Divided into three digestible sections-Healthy Body, Healthy Mind and Healthy Spirit-it's chock full of useful if familiar tips, such as embracing the (older, Harvard School of Public Health-designed) Healthy Eating Pyramid and including ""never less than five"" vegetable servings daily; keeping the nap short and getting a good night's sleep (""Essentials for Optimum Snoozing"" include ""A dark, cool, quiet room,"" a ""reasonably early dinner"" and a regular schedule); as well as volunteering, reflecting and preserving one's ""sense of awe and wonder."" But the book also introduces handy advice from some well-heeled experts, including Harper's Bazaar editor-in-chief Glenda Bailey and fashion designers Nicole Miller and Dana Buchman in the clothing section. Happily, the book is not just an endless list of ""to dos"" or ""to haves""; there are also many ""whys"" (as in ""why we need regular exercise"") and ""hows"" (as is in ""how to buy great sheets""). Cynics might argue that you'll need more than Wilkinson's 127 essentials in a life, but it's hard to argue that she hasn't made a good start.